Under the Misty Moonlight
by ChibiStarChan129
Summary: After the incident at the festival, Izumiko and Miyuki go back for a visit at the Tamakura Shrine. Miyuki can't sleep and goes for a walk in the forest late at night when . . . (Cute, fluffly oneshot.)


** I felt like there wasn't enough Miyuki x Izumiko fanfiction so I decided to write one, myself. Forgive me if anything is wrong. I was honestly a little confused during the anime because I don't know much about the Shinto religion, but I understood it enough to like it. Anyway, I wrote from Miyuki's point of view. I don't know why, but I find it easier to write from the guy's point of view even though I'm not a guy . . . is that weird?**

**Disclaimer: Red Data Girl does not belong to me.**

Things did not at all turn out how I thought they would. I really hated her. I hated my father. I hated the fact that I had to leave everything – my friends, my family, my life – to serve such a dull and pathetic girl. '_She could have at least been confident, charming, and beautiful,_' I thought. The sight of her disgusted me. When I met her in the woods that day, I didn't want to believe that she was the one I would be serving. She was a petite girl with a fragile, doll-like face. Her red-rimmed glasses accented her large eyes. But the one thing that stood out was her braids. It brought back the memory of that hopeless little girl that I used to harass when I was a kid. _"Are you for real!? Are you really Suzuhara Izumiko!? How can you be called a 'Goddess'?"_

Looking back, I really never thought things would turn out this way. I never thought that she would become so important to me. Maybe it was my father's intention all along, and maybe I gave in to his crafty plan. Yet even with all of my hatred towards him, for some reason, I didn't really care. I was glad that I stayed with Izumiko. I found someone to protect; someone who really needed me. If other people knew of her power, they would all want a piece of her. They would want to control her . . . or even kill her. I couldn't let that happen. She just wanted to be a normal girl. She was scared. She was lost. She was hurting inside. But she was still kind. Sometimes I just wanted to lock her up to keep her away from the dangers outside.

* * *

After the incident at the festival, Izumiko decided that she wanted to come back to visit the Tamakura Shrine. So, of course, I came too. Despite how I acted back when we first met there, I really did like the place. The scenery of the Kii Mountain Range was stunning. The tall trees, the streams and waterfalls, everything was amazing. Izumiko's grandparents were happy to see her again.

"You've really changed, Izumiko," said her grandfather, "you seem more confident."

"O-oh, really? Thank you, Ojiichan."

I also noticed it. She wasn't as afraid to speak her mind. She had gotten stronger. Even with all the pressure of being the yorishiro, she had still managed to overcome her fears. Smiling, she took my hand gently and pulled me inside. I sat next to her at the dinner table and her grandmother served us some warm oden. "You two have gotten closer, too."

Izumiko's face flushed at her statement and I couldn't help but snicker at her reaction. She turned her head slightly toward my direction, nervously. When our eyes met, she quickly turned away and then I started to get tense as well.

"I-Itadakimasu!" she yelled much louder than necessary. She was too. . . cute.

When we finished eating, Izumiko headed upstairs toward her bedroom after saying goodnight, and I went to the separate building in which Yukimasa and I had stayed before. I lay down on the bed for a while, but I wasn't feeling tired. There wasn't much to do, since I had only packed some clothes and didn't bring manga or anything. Stretching, I sat up again and looked out the window. It was dark, but I decided, "Why not take a walk outside since I'm here?" So with that, I put my shoes and jacket back on, and took a step outside.

Taking a breath of the damp air, I proceeded onto the path. The shrubs and trees were a bit dewy. As I walked through the forest, my thoughts wandered. Suddenly, I thought of the events that happened not long ago when I had come for Izumiko in the other layer.

'_You know, you have to tell me that you need me. I won't know unless you do. I can't do anything unless I know you need me. I think you know that I won't be your manservant. But this goddess is too heavy a burden. You can't bear it alone. I'll help you so you don't become the goddess and destroy humanity. So tell me that you need me.'_

I smacked my face at the thought. Even though I meant what I said, it was embarrassing to recall. She really did change me.

After walking for a bit, I heard the sound of the waterfall nearby . . . and a voice? It was singing. Izumiko's singing. What was she doing out this late? Cutting through the shrubs and branches, my feet followed the delicate, melodic voice that belonged to Izumiko.

"_If you will come, _

_then do so. _

_Why will you not decide?"_

Finally I reached the clearing where the waterfall formed a pool. There she was, in her kimono, spinning and splashing in the water as she sang. She was the loveliest thing I had ever seen. Being careful to stay out of her field of vision, I observed from behind a tree. Slowly, she came to a stop, finishing her song and then smiled. She let herself fall back into the water to gaze at the stars. "Is she stupid? She's going to catch a cold . . ." I thought, but my body wouldn't move. I wanted to continue watching her. She sat up, hair and clothing soaked, and pulled the rubber band from her braids. Had the Himegami appeared once again!? I started to panic until words escaped her lips.

"Sagara-kun. . ." she sighed, still smiling gingerly to herself. My heart skipped a beat. She was thinking about me. At last, she got out of the pool, water dripping from her body. Her hand rose to her shoulder as she began to remove the kimono. Once I realized what she was doing, I jumped, startled. This was wrong. I couldn't watch in secret as she undressed! Stepping back I was about to run away, but ran into a bush, making a great deal of noise.

"Huh!? Wh-who's there. . . ?" She shivered with fear, then her eyes widened. "S-Sagara-kun?" Her face became beat red.

"It's not what it looks like!" I defended myself, but couldn't take my eyes off of her bare shoulder. She hastily pulled her sleeve back up, embarrassed.

"What are you doing here?"

"Just taking a walk and I heard you."

"You weren't watching just now . . . were you?" she asked shyly.

My eyes darted toward the ground, guiltily. Everything was quiet except for the splash of the waterfall in the background. After a minute of silence, she took a breath.

"Sagara-kun. . ." her body was tenser than before. The girl shuffled her feet. I watched as her mouth closed and opened again with hesitation. ". . . I love you."

Those three words left me speechless. I stood there in awe. The most important person to me, had feelings for me. A wave of heat spread through my cheeks and my heart started to pound. She timidly looked up at me with those big brown eyes. Obviously, she was scared for my answer. However, I couldn't speak. My mind was still processing what she had just said. When I didn't respond, her gaze reverted back to the ground.

"I'm sorry. Forget that I said anything." She quietly said before turning and hastily heading toward the path. Realizing that she felt hurt, I instantly threw my arms around her, pulling her towards my chest in a deep hug. "A-ah! Sagara-kun, you'll get wet!"

"I don't care." I said, resting my head on hers. Her small form was shivering in my arms. I wasn't sure if it was due to embarrassment or the cold, but I didn't want to let her go. Since when have my feelings for her gotten so strong?

Moments passed and finally, I released her and took a step back. My foot rested on an unstable stone which suddenly rolled from underneath my foot and I fell backwards into the water. Izumiko grabbed my arm, but ended up falling on top of me. I sat up, Izumiko in my lap, water surrounding us both. We stared at each other for a second and abruptly started to laugh!

She beamed ear to ear. "Now, you're _really_ wet! Hehehe!"

Her smiling face was the prettiest of all. She didn't smile nearly enough. Without thinking, I brought my hand up out from the water and gently placed it on her cheek, caressing it with my thumb. She stopped laughing and turned red again, eyes widened. I just couldn't stop myself. Slowly, the space between us lessened. My face inched toward hers and seconds felt like minutes. The tall trees around us watched and the mist of the waterfall drifted around us. Moonlight lit up the water with a blue glow. Water droplets made their way down my face. At last, our lips tenderly collided. They were cold and moist, but it was the best feeling in the world. She draped her arms over my shoulders and I wrapped my arms around her. It felt like we were the only ones in the world.

Our lips seperated and Izumiko fell into my lap again. "So you _do_ need me." I said. She blushed again. I lightly kissed her head and stood up. Reaching for her hand, I continued, "Let's get out of this water before we catch a cold." Together, we walked back to the shrine. My clothes clung to my body and the night breeze gave me a chill.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Sagara-kun!" Izumiko hurried inside. I smiled to myself and went inside to change. That night, I slept like a log, dreaming of the dancing beauty that I fell in love with.


End file.
